SEOUL, KOREA: Samsung is preparing to roll out Google TV-enabled sets, Bloomberg’s Jun Yang reported from Korea this week. An executive with the consumer electronics giant said it was open to using Intel chips in its TVs. Intel provides the chips for Google TV.
Google launched the service last month in conjunction with Sony and Logitech, both of which supplied the hardware into which Google’s Chrome browser and Android operating system were incorporated to create Google TV. Google TV enables Internet access via the television set.
Samsung is currently aligned with Yahoo for Internet-to-TV provision. The pair recently announced a plan to sell Yahoo-connected TVs in 26 countries, bringing the worldwide market to 39 nations. The Yahoo TV widget is a limited-access interface, though it’s incorporated in TV sets priced as low as $299. The Google TV set-top box from Logitech is priced at $299, while the Google TV Sony sets start at $599.99. A Google TV-enabled Blu-ray player is priced at $399.99.
Samsung is expected formally to announce a deal for Google TV in January.
-- Deborah D. McAdams
